Pics: Meryick D'Silva
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (MD)

Mangalore, Sep 18: Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) on Wednesday September 17 held a meeting regarding the developmental works done by the various departments of MCC. Mayor Mahabala Maarla presided over the meeting.

Maarla during the meeting briefed about the following:

Infrastructure Development

1. To make Mangalore Junction Railway Station and the Bajpe airport of world class standards, with proper road facilities. MCC has already held discussion with the central railway department with regard to developing Mangalore junction.

2. According to the Smart City project of the central government, a city should have a population of at least 5 to 10 lac. According to the 2011 census, the city population is 4,99,487. Moodsheddehas a population of 81,031 people. The MCC plans to assimilate Moodushedde also and request the central government to include Mangalore city under the Smart City project.

3. Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers (MCF) and Kudremukh companies are established companies. For various reasons, these companies are going to shut down. These companies provide job opportunities to many in the city and to save these companies, a petition has been sent to the central and state government, Maarla said.

4. To provide water for people, the construction of Rs 75.5-crore vented dam at Netravati river near Thumbe is under progress and will be completed in 2015.

5. Widening of railway overbridge (ROB) between Netravati Cabin and Mangalore central railway station is estimated at Rs 630 lacs, and a request has been sent to the railway department of the government to pay the estimated cost. MCC will bear Rs 12.60 lacs of the construction cost, he added.

Health Department

1. To manage and dispose of solid waste, MCC has called two new package tenders through e-procurement. These two package contracts are taken up by Antony Waste Handling Cell Private Limited. The government has already given approval for the contract, which is for seven years and will start from December 2015. The contractors are supposed to use their own hydraulic vehicles, assigning them for door-to-door waste collection.

2. Everyday sweeping at least 25 km with the help of machines. Removing the weeds and cleaning the dividers is a must, the mayor said.

Malaria Control Operation

1. Malaria controlling in construction sites

For three days, malaria inspection will be done by 11 teams from MCC. So far the teams have covered 183 construction sites in two days and found 85 mosquito-ridden sites. Till date, 110 on-spot blood tests have been carried. All 82 blood testing centres are submitting malaria and dengue reports to the MCC.

2. Guppy fish campaign: The health department will be doing door-to-door survey to identify and deal with places where mosquitoes thrive and release guppy fish in wells.

3. Free blood test and medicine: MCC will provide medicines for malaria to private and government hospitals and people can go to any hospital for free malaria treatment.

4. Public awareness: Schools, colleges and government organisations will hold malaria awareness programmes.

Welfare Scheme Fund 2013-2014

1. House Construction

For the construction of houses, Rs 1, 50,000 has been sanctioned to each of the 37 beneficiaries under 22.75% welfare scheme fund and a total Rs 32.85 lac has been spent in the year 2013-14.

2. Educational support

Under this scheme, meritorious children belonging to SC/STs and studying in SSLC are given Rs 2,000 each. In all, 60 students benefited from this scheme. Students studying in PUC or doing vocational or diploma courses are provided with Rs 3,000 each and 60 students were selected for the scheme. Students studying BA, BSc, BCom and other courses have been given Rs 4,000 and 40 students benefited. MCom, MA, MSW, MSC and BE students are given Rs 6,000 each and 4 students got this fund this year.

3. Information Camps

To know about health and hygiene in sanitation department, MCC organised various programmes and spent Rs 52,000 and Rs 39,000 on law information camp.

7.25% Welfare Scheme Fund

Toilets for 87 beneficiaries, houses for 33 people, self-employment fund for the 142 people, cooking gas connection to 1,147 people, and water taps connection for 265, laptops to the 10 BE and MBBS students, basic requirements like road, drinking water, street lights, public toilets have also been provided in the city.

Welfare schemes for differently-abled

Rs 3,65,506 was paid for medical expenses for 28 physically challenged, Rs 9,59,489 for artificial limbs, hearing aids, wheel chairs and walkers for 17 people.

National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM)

MCC has been selected under NULM project by the centre for housing and urban poverty alleviation.
To remove poverty, NULM is going to organize various training programmes like heavy vehicle driving, fashion designing, animation, photography, plastic manufacturing technology, beautician courses and many more.

Road development

Mayor Mahabala Maarla also said that the widening of a few areas in the city is the need of the hour. "Hampanakatta junction road widening at the cost of Rs 70 lacs, Mallikatte junction road at Rs 99.75 lacs, PVS Junction road at Rs 76 lacs, Bunts Hostel junction road at Rs 60 lacs and Jyothi junction road at Rs 80 lacs and various other junctions around Mangalore are going to be widened and developed," he informed.

"Work on construction of footpath and drainage at Kadri Kambla road, Bunts Hostel junction to Mallikatte Shivbagh junction, from Kadri Shivbagh to St Agnes College is going to start very soon," he said.

Regarding the renovation of Town Hall, Maarla said, "Seating arrangements, air condition, flooring, green room altering, more power generators, painting of windows and whole building, construction of parking bay and CCTV installation will be done as soon as possible".

Deputy mayor Kavita, MCC commissioner in charge Gokul Das Nayak, Shashidhar Hegde corporator among others were also present on the occasion.